Innovative Courses and Student Research

Photo courtesy Wisconsin DNR

Anthropology 348: Economy, Nature & Culture. Pete Brown.
A comparative survey and analysis of differing modes of acquisition, allocation and distribution of scarce resources in primarily pre-industrial societies of differing levels of socio-cultural integration and in differing time frames. Fall 2011.

ES 320: Campus Sustainability. Jim Feldman
This course has two primary themes: 1) sustainability on the UW Oshkosh campus; and 2) the role of the university and of education in the sustainability movement. Students will learn hands-on skills for auditing campus sustainability in a variety of topics, such as transportation patterns, recycling policies, and the university’s carbon footprint. In Spring 2010, students conducted an audit of university's waste stream, including a waste sort on Earth Day. $30 special course fee to cover a field trip. Spring 2011.

ES 390: Special Topics: Telling True Stories of Community Development in Nicaragua. Douglas Haynes.
This study abroad course immerses students in community development projects in Nicaragua and prepares students to share these projects’ stories by writing narrative nonfiction accounts of their visits. The course includes visits to project sites in rural and urban Nicaragua supported by the non-profit organization Compas de Nicaragua. This organization sponsors Women in Action and the Brothers and Sisters in Reconciliation Farmers’ Cooperative, two community groups working on reforestation, organic agriculture, education, health, and food security, among other issues. Site visits will introduce students to these groups’ work, involve them in service-learning projects with local people, familiarize them with different approaches to and challenges of community development in Nicaragua, and give them experiences of daily life with host families. Fall interim 2011 (January 2012).

ES 390: Special Topics: Family Farms, Agriculture, & Democracy. Todd Dresser.
This course considers the intertwined histories of the rise of industrial agriculture, the changing nature of democracy, and shifting concerns about the family from the beginning of the 20th century until the present. Spring 2012.

ES 391: Special Topics: Sustainability of Food. Misty McPhee.
Ever wondered why we (as a society) love Twinkies?  And Doritos?  Why we crave food items that actually contain very little food?  In ES 391, Sustainability of Food, we will read Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma and from there develop a course that will explore the reciprocal influences between our biology of eating (evolution, culture, physiology) and the food-production system. The topics covered and direction of the latter part of the course is completely up to the students.  Our goal, however, is to understand how humans’ evolutionary history has shaped food preferences and how those preferences impact our ability to develop sustainable, ethical food production systems. Spring 2012.

ES 395: Field Studies in Wisconsin Ecoregions. David Barnhill.
Scientists, natural resource managers, and nature writers all base their work on an in depth and intimate understanding of the natural world. Central to that understanding is knowledge of native and invasive plants, natural communities (such as maple-basswood forest, prairie, and bog), ecoregions, watersheds, and geology. This course is an opportunity for students to get out of the classroom and learn about the ecosystems in our state. The course will begin with a brief in-class introduction to native plants, natural communities, and ecoregions of Wisconsin. Then we will spend nearly three weeks traveling to ecologically rich sites in our state. Spring interim 2011 and 2013.

ES 395: Approaches to Resource Management in Tropical Ecosystems. Bob Pillsbury and Misty McPhee.
A unique field studies course in Belize. Offered every fall interim (January), this three week course examines the rich ecological and cultural diversity of this fascinating country in Central America. Unless you prefer snow to the tropical sunshine. Fall interim (January 2013).

ES 396: Field Studies in Environmental Science: Waterways of Wisconsin. Shannon Davis-Foust.
During this three week field course we will explore the water resources of Wisconsin to learn how to objectively assess the physical, chemical, and biological parameters of water quality.  Field sampling to evaluate water quality will be conducted with an emphasis on assessing habitat quality.  There will be several overnight trips at field stations and other educational facilities.  Proper field attire is strongly encouraged. There is a special course fee to cover transportation and lodging. Enrollment by instructor consent: email Shannon Davis-Foust, davisfos@uwosh.edu. Spring interim (May) 2012.

Student Research

Rosendale Dairy and the Rise of Factory Farming in the Fox Valley.
Students in Paul Van Auken's Rural Sociology course (spring 2010) completed an 100+ page analysis of the Rosendale Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO). Check it out.

Student research in ES 342 Social Ecology fall 2008
Students in Paul Van Auken's ES 342: Social Ecology course produced some engaging insights.

Student research in Sociology 101 fall 2008
Here is some student research from Paul's Sociology 101 course